Life Jacket Attachment

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a life jacket. The life jacket comprises a floatable rope and securing means attached to the life jacket. The floatable rope extends from the securing means and is arranged such that it is suitable for attachment to lifting means.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to an attachment for a life jacket, and more particularly but not exclusively to a floatable attachment for a life jacket which, in use, enables the wearer of the life jacket to be more easily pulled from the water.

Life jackets are well known and exist in many different forms. The common problem with life jackets is they provide little or no means to easily retrieve a man overboard (MOB).

In UK waters, a MOB has approximately 15 minutes before the level of hypothermia experienced has significantly reduced finger dexterity such that the fingers are almost, if not completely, incapacitated. Aside from the physical effects of entering cold water the situation can also be very distressing. As such, a man overboard is typically able to offer very little help to anyone reaching down into the water to retrieve them.

Modern sailing boats are very manoeuvrable, so it can be straightforward to pull alongside the MOB. However, there is typically a considerable distance from the deck to the surface of the water which means it is very difficult to reach down and touch the MOB. It may be possible to bring the MOB to the stern which could be a sugar scoop and or have a step down or bathing ladder, but when positioning the MOB at the stern there is a very great risk of the MOB being hit by the stern as the boat heaves in the water. Ideally, the MOB should be brought to between the middle of the boat and the stern, on the quarter where the freeboard will be least. The problem of easily retrieving the MOB still remains however.

There are many devices commercially available for retrieving a man overboard, for example net, cradle or winch systems. The major disadvantage with these devices is, however, their reliance on the actions of the MOB, for example to haul themselves on top of or within, or to attach themselves to. Such action may not be possible if the MOB is experiencing hypothermia and or in a semi-conscious state. The retrieval devices can also be large, expensive items which are not best suited to the extremely limited deck space on a typical sailboat and would potentially interfere with sails if deployed. Accordingly, sailboats typically only carry one or more throwable floatation devices and have little if any provision for bringing a MOB aboard in hostile conditions or when the MOB is incapacitated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for a life jacket which renders the life jacket, and thus the wearer, more easily retrievable from the water and into a vessel such as a boat.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a life jacket comprising:

a floatable rope, and

securing means attached to the life jacket,

wherein the floatable rope extends from the securing means,

and, the floatable rope is arranged such that it is suitable for attachment to lifting means.

A life jacket in accordance with the present invention provides the advantage that, in use, the floatable rope will enable hooking or lifting means to be more easily deployed to retrieve the wearer of the life jacket from the water. It is vital, when rescuing someone, to minimise the time they spend in the water so as to minimise the effect of cold water related trauma such as hypothermia and shock. Furthermore, the wearer of the life jacket may be semi-conscious or comatose and so unable to help pull themselves out of the water and into, for example, a rescue boat. Any improvement in ease of access to the life jacket when it is in the water, however slight, will be of considerable benefit to the wearer of the life jacket.

The securing means of the life jacket may comprise the floatable rope such that the floatable rope forms part, or all, of the securing means from which it extends, or the floatable rope may be a separate part which is attached, or coupled, to the securing means. It is envisaged that the floatable rope could be incorporated into, or onto, the securing means during manufacture of the life jacket, or could be retro-fitted to a securing means as desired.

Preferably, the rope comprises first and second ends joined together to form a continuous loop. The continuous loop enables a hook or the like to be used to engage with the rope quickly and simply. Ease of retrieval is, again, of vital importance in the field of life jacket design because of the typically hazardous environmental conditions and the typically stressful and dangerous situations life jackets are deployed in.

The join between the first and second rope ends of the life jacket may be made by means of splicing. One of the advantages of such a join is that the join is stronger than merely connecting the ends of the rope via a knot. The spliced rope may pass easily through the loop of a lifting strop or the like and be secured, for example, using a conventional strap hitch knot. The join is also permanent and avoids the need for metal parts which makes the life jacket suitable for both racing sailors, cruisers, and commercial sailors. Alternatively, the first end of the rope may be joined to a point along the length of the rope. Such a join may also be achieved by splicing.

The rope may be made from polyethylene, or more specifically Dyneema™. This is a strong, lightweight and floatable material.

Advantageously, the life jacket rope may further comprise reflective elements to enable it to be picked out by a torch or the like in poor light conditions.

The securing means of the life jacket is preferably the lifting strop which is present on life jackets. The lifting strop is also known as a Becket. Where more than one lifting strop is present, the floatable rope may be attached to each lifting strop such that the wearer may be hoisted from the water with a substantially even force applied to each rope. Typically, the lifting strop of a life jacket is contained in a compartment within the jacket and deploys once the life jacket is inflated. Advantageously, the rope of the present invention may also be contained within the compartment housing the lifting strop such that, when the life jacket is inflated, the rope is deployed from the compartment. The rope is therefore stored away and does not interfere with the wearer of the life jacket when the life jacket is not inflated.

Preferably, the rope is between substantially 3 mm to 6 mm in diameter and substantially 3 m in length. Under testing, 3 m of Dyneema™ with an average breaking strain of 1050 kg, spliced end to end into a loop, fails at 1610 kg.

Further advantageously, the rope of the life jacket may comprise an illuminous portion, such as, for example, a neon or Dayglo™ coating portion to further enable the rope to be easily identified in poor light conditions. Similarly, the rope may include a luminous portion. The reflective, luminous, illuminous, neon, Dayglo™, or the like portions of the floatable rope may be provided by means of tape which is fastened to said rope. The tape may be spaced apart along the length of the rope at intervals of approximately 30 cm.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a life jacket comprising the step of securing the floatable rope to the life jacket by means of splicing.

The method may further comprise the step of securing reflective elements to the floatable rope and or coating at least a portion of the floatable rope with a neon coating, thus enabling the rope to be more easily identified in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be well understood, there will now be described an embodiment thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a life jacket according to a first embodiment of the invention, with floatable rope secured to a lifting strop;

FIG. 2 is a partial view of the life jacket of FIG. 1, showing the floatable rope substantially gathered up; and

FIG. 3 is a partial side view of an apparatus according to FIGS. 1 and 2, showing the floatable rope gathered up into a closable compartment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom” and derivatives thereof shall be related to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1 as if the apparatus were stood upright on the floor. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may assume various other orientations, except where expressly specified to the contrary.

Referring firstly to FIG. 1, there is shown a life jacket 10. The life jacket 10 comprises adjustable straps 12, a floating portion 14, a D-ring 16, a lifting strop 17, and floatable rope 18. The adjustable straps 12 extend, in use, around the waist of the wearer and hold the floating portion 14 in place against the user's back, over the user's shoulders and against the user's chest down to substantially the user's waist.

Floatable in this sense means that the rope has a positive buoyancy such that when submerged in water it will rise to settle on the surface of the water. The water may be saltwater, e.g. seawater, or fresh water, e.g. river water. The floatable rope of the present invention could be formed by a material which itself floats, such that the rope then floats, or, in an alternative embodiment, floatation of the rope could be achieved by means of buoyancy aids attached to said rope.

A portion of the adjustable straps 12 extends between two parts of the floating portion 14 which, in use, are held against the chest and stomach of the wearer. The D-ring 16 is attached to this portion of the adjustable straps and thus, in use, is proximate to the stomach of the wearer. The D-ring 16 is attached by passing the adjustable straps 12 through the D. A lifting strop 17 is attached to the life jacket 10 in the conventional manner to comply with SOLAS regulations.

In a preferred embodiment, the floatable rope 18 is fastened to the lifting strop 17 as shown in FIG. 1, although, as mentioned above, the floatable rope may form a part of the securing means, in this case the lifting strop. The floatable rope may be attached to the D-ring 16 but this is not compliant with SOLAS regulations. The fastening may be achieved by means of a knot, but in the preferred embodiment the fastening is achieved by splicing the floatable rope 18 end to end to form a continuous loop of rope and then passing the rope 18 through the lifting stop 17 and tying a strap hitch as shown in FIG. 1.

The floatable rope 18 includes reflective portions 20 spaced apart along its length. In an alternative embodiment, the reflective portions may cover the entire length of the rope 18, or the rope 18 may be coated in a bright colour, for example a neon or illuminous colour.

The floatable rope 18 is of a polyethylene material, specifically Dyneema™ and is approximately 3 mm in diameter and 3 m in length. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rope is gathered up and stored in a closable compartment 22. The closable compartment 22 is disposed within the floating portion 14, proximate the front of the life jacket 10 and may be closed by means of a zip, Velcro, or the like.

The lifting strop 17 is also housed within the closable compartment 22. In use, the life jacket 10 is inflated and the lifting strop 17 deploys such that it extends out from the closable compartment 22. The rope 18 which is fastened to the lifting strop 17 also, in use, extends from the closable compartment 22.

Where a life jacket 10 comprises more than one lifting strop 17, a floatable rope 18 is attached in the manner described above, to each lifting strop 17.

In use, the bladder of the life jacket 10 is inflated. The D-ring of known life jackets is obscured when said known life jacket is inflated, making it very difficult for a rope or the like to be attached to haul the wearer from the sea. The lifting strop 17 of known life jackets is also very difficult to get hold of. The lifting strop 17 of the present invention has a floatable rope 18 already attached. In use, this rope 18 floats to the surface of the water and can easily be hooked with a boat hook or the like to pull the wearer towards the boat and haul the wearer aboard. The wearer of the life jacket does not have to intervene, thus the present invention may advantageously be used to rescue semi-conscious, or comatose wearers.

It will also be apparent to the skilled reader that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Alternative arrangements will be apparent to a reader skilled in the art. For example, the Dyneema™ rope 18 may be replaced with an alternative rope that is able to float or has floatable attachments enabling said rope to float. 

1. A life jacket comprising: a floatable rope, and a securing means attached to the life jacket, wherein the floatable rope extends from the securing means, and the floatable rope is arranged such that it is suitable for attachment to a lifting means.
 2. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein the floatable rope includes first and second ends joined together to form a continuous loop and the continuous loop is suitable for attachment to the lifting means.
 3. A life jacket according to claim 2, wherein the first and second floatable rope ends are joined together by splicing.
 4. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein the floatable rope is made from polyethylene.
 5. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein the floatable rope is made from ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber.
 6. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein the floatable rope further comprises reflective elements.
 7. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein the securing means is a lifting strop.
 8. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein the securing means and floatable rope are contained within a closable compartment and, in use, are deployed so as to extend from the closeable compartment.
 9. A life jacket according to claim 8, wherein the life jacket is inflatable and the securing means and floatable rope are contained within the closeable compartment such that, when the life jacket is inflated, the floatable rope is deployed from the closeable compartment.
 10. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein the floatable rope is between substantially 3 mm to 6 mm in diameter.
 11. A life jacket according to claim 8, wherein the floatable rope is substantially 3 mm in diameter.
 12. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein the floatable rope is substantially 3 m in length.
 13. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein the floatable rope comprises an illuminous, a luminous, or neon coating portion.
 14. A life jacket according to claim 1, in which the floatable rope comprises first and second ends joined together to form a continuous loop, and in which the securing means is a lifting strop, and wherein the continuous loop of the floatable rope is fastened to the lifting strop.
 15. A life jacket according to claim 1, in which the floatable rope comprises first and second ends joined together to form a continuous loop, and in which the securing means is a lifting strop including a loop, the continuous loop of the floatable rope being fastened to the loop of the lifting strop.
 16. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein the floatable rope is secured to the life jacket by means of splicing.
 17. A life jacket according to claim 1, further comprising reflective elements secured to the floatable rope.
 18. A life jacket according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the floatable rope is coated with a neon coating.
 19. (canceled)
 20. (canceled) 